electrical-panel
Im trying to add a subpanel to my main breaker box, I know that on a subpanel neutral bus and ground must not be bonded, but looking inside the main panel I don't see where the neutral and ground bars are bonded, also this panel does not have connection to a ground rod, the ground rod connection it's coming out of the meter box, Its this ok? can the neutral to ground bonding be inside the meter box? , thanks in advance for the help!
A main panel (or service entrance panel) is simply a panelboard that contains the main service disconnect for a property -- this can be up to six circuit breakers in a rule-of-six (split bus) panel, but is more commonly a single main circuit breaker or fused disconnect (such as a pullout).
Or in other words: the service from the electrical utility enters the main electrical panel for a property, and all other panels on that property are subpanels, as long as there is not a second utility service or a transformer on the property. There are also other special cases such as multiple section main panels, but they're beyond the scope of this answer.
Neutral and ground should only be bonded at the service equipment. This could be at the service drop, the meter, or the service disconnect (250.24(A)(1)).
Looks like the neutral is bonded in your main panel, via the bonding screw.
The second panel is then fed using four wires, to keep ground and neutral separate.
Best Answer
Yes, the neutral can be bonded at the meter. National Electrical Code 250.24(A)(1).
Here's a YouTube video where Mike Holt discusses this topic.